


Deal?

by theimaginemindscape



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Bill messes with the reader's head, F/M, I may got to hell for this, Insanity, Kidnapping, Mind Manipulation, Monsters, Mystery, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, The Mindscape, Will Update Warnings and Tags if there is, like a lot, like very slow, probably, reader is female
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-09-20 10:13:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9486743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theimaginemindscape/pseuds/theimaginemindscape
Summary: After getting yourself kicked out of graduate school, you returned to your beloved childhood summer home of Gravity Falls on a search to uncover the the deep mysteries that haunted you. You were willing to do anything to learn the truth... even make a deal.





	1. Things Go to Shit

**Author's Note:**

> This is the more updated version of the fic. Yes, I changed A LOT. This chapter is mostly setup. I urge you all to notify me of any problems you have with it so I can make it better in the future. Hope you like it.

_5:54pm_. The tick of the clock seemed to gloat at me. Six minutes left. _Six minutes left_. Six minutes, my entire future and everything I had worked for, hung in the balance.

My entire day was like this. Counting down the time in excruciating pain until it finally read 6:00. And yet, sitting outside the impeccable office of the stern headmaster of the science college at my university, in a smelly, dirty hallway, with 5 minutes to go until my inevitable doom, I realized I should have seen it coming. How could I not? It was obvious. What, did I really think they were gonna let me do whatever I wanted? This was a world renowned university with a reputation to uphold, of course they weren't gonna risk it for my so called "groundbreaking" ideas.

5:57pm. My heart pounded in my chest like I were awaiting execution. Breathing became a laborious chore. Each shaky exhale brought me closer to what felt like a heart attack.

5:58pm. That phrase that people say? Having butterflies in your stomach? Understatement. Of. The. Fucking. _Century_.

5:59pm. My eyes fluttered shut. I was alone with nothing but my thoughts and the incessant tapping of feet I figured must have been my own. _It'll be fine, right?_ I thought,  _I'm one of the finest students in the whole university! Hell, I'm practically Einstein in all of my Neuroscience and Physics courses! They can't just throw me and my ideas away without asking me to explain myself, right?_  I could feel the rusty gears in my head turning. Or maybe that was my stomach churning. Or both.

The big hand of the wall clock arrived dangerously close to the 12. I prayed the ticking timepiece would turn into a time bomb and take me out of my misery. And then, the door beside me opened. My breathing ceased. The face of young Headmaster Miller appeared to greet me. With big broad shoulder clad in an impeccable work suit, he was intimidating to say the least. A fact which did nothing to help my case.

"Miss (Y/L/N), I'm ready to see you now," he said sternly. However, I barely heard him over the sound of my own chattering mind.

On unsteady legs, I got up and walked into the familiar room. The office was just like him, tidy and professional. I spotted the wooden chair in the middle of the room and sat down, more like ungraciously fell, onto it. Across from me, my headmaster settled at his neat desk and sighed. If I looked at him then I knew I'd be greeted by concerned eyes. However, my eyes were much too occupied admiring the newton balls on his desk, not daring to tilt them elsewhere. They were very shiny, and silver. Maybe I could reach over and-

"Alex, I don't have to tell you why you're here," he stated, interrupting your stalling thoughts. Your eyes glanced up at him. Upon meeting his serious expression you immediately flit your eyes to the shaking thumbs on your lap. Trying to avoid using words that you couldn't find, you shook your head in response to his statement. "Good. Now, the reason I called you into my office is because I, as well as the entire science department, believe that you are better than this."

His hand reached the reading glasses around his neck and placed them on his nose. He opened his computer and began to read off the monitor. "4.0 GPA in all four years of your undergraduate studies and glowing recommendations from all your teachers. Your Cognitive Neuroscience professor, Dr. Henson, wrote to me and I quote: 'With incredible knowledge of brain physiology, an unrivaled understanding of the mind, and an indomitable drive to obtain truth and knowledge for its own sake, (Y/N) is one of my finest ever students.'" His eyebrow rose and he proceeded to stare at you with an amused expression. You felt embarrassed.

"Come on," you began. "Everyone knows Henson's really easily impressed. I just know what she wants to hear and write it in my papers. I mean, she obviously-"

" _She_ holds 2 PhDs, is being considered for a Nobel prize and obviously believes you to be a highly intelligent, motivated student who will accomplish extraordinary things," he interrupted,"Which is something we seek and admire at this university, especially in the sciences. She is also the reason we placed you in such a high level on your first year of this establishment. AND Your Physical Cosmology and Astrophysics teachers have made similar comments to me in the past. Now, compare _that_ to what I received from your physics professor at this graduate school." He picked up a note directly in front of him.

"Oh, please," you pleaded. "You don't have to read it out lou-"

"Despite her track record, it is my belief that (Y/N) was terribly misplaced in our graduate program. Last year, she turned in a preposterous thesis filled with insane theories! I consistently asked and even demander her to abandon these foolish ideas, yet she has repeatedly used school resources for fruitless 'experiments' in a desperate attempt to prove them. Needless to say, she has failed to provide one iota of physical evidence, and thus lacks any form of credibility. I believe that in order to save the university any embarrassment we must stop these actions or remove her from the premises entirely." You cringe. There it was. Your headmaster was considering throwing you out of the school you invested 6 years of your life into because of some dumbass teacher who spent his days retreading the theories of fucking Aristotle. The anger that rose up in you made you want to explode.

"Headmaster, Professor Ritz just doesn't like me because I know more about theoretical physics than he does! You can't kick me out simply based on a note from a pissy teacher!" You exclaimed in a rage, finally finding your voice. Any thought of decorum and politeness left your system.

"I agree, which is why I gave you the benefit of the doubt for _months_ ," he responds, ignoring your outburst, "However, after the encouragement of several faculty members I took a look at this... thesis... of yours, to see if the professor was simply overreacting." He took out a copy of your 100 page thesis and began flipping through it.

"What did you think?" You asked hopefully, even though you knew the answer.

"Do you really have to ask me that?!" He rubbed his hands over a frustrated face. "I mean...a connection between the mind and the multiverse? Dreaming is actually our brain tapping into the space between the universes? For Christ's sake, (Y/N) the multiverse hasn't even been proven and you're already making extraordinary claims about it! You can't possibly expect us to buy these-these- _supernatural_ claims! Much less fund them with university money!" He practically yells at you.

Your face sank in embarrassment. "You don't understand!" You frantically excused yourself. "It makes perfect logical sense! I just need some more time to prove these claims and the-"

"No, _you_ don't understand. Now, listen and listen closely," he spit out venomously."I don't care what your grade point average is or how well you suck up to your teachers, you cannot go around tainting the school name with this _insanity_! And don't even get me started on wasting school resources!" He sighs loudly, and you retreat back even further into yourself, not wanting to hear any more. He began, having calmed down a little,"I simply ask you to cease these foolish experiments and work on something more productive. I promise, if you leave this now, we will act as if nothing every happened. The school could use a mind like yours and we'd hate to see your talent wasted. Ok?"

Your eyes glanced up at him and saw his earnest expression. "With my mind, come my ideas." He sighed. "Very well then..." You huffed, and then opened your mouth to speak.

~~~

"Fuck you, asshole! I don't need you anyways!" You said as your once cool headed Headmaster literally _threw you out of his office_ and demanded that you leave. In hindsight, maybe calling him a cunt who knew nothing about science and was just too dumb to understand your theories, wasn't the _best_ idea you've had. And maybe punching him in the nose afterwards wasn't exactly genius either.

"You have until tonight to get your stuff and leave the campus, or I'm calling the police and arresting you for assault!" He yelled at you while trying to block the spurting of blood from his stupid nose.

"I fucking dare you, you prick!" was your last retort before storming off to your dorm in typical movie fashion. Who cares? He wanted you to stop investigating the theories you've been developing for literally _years_ , to instead work on projects the entire fucking _world_ is developing, based on theories people had in the _18th fucking century_. Thanks, but no thanks. If you couldn't dedicate yourself to _your_ work, and _your_ ideas, there was no point in staying.

Once you arrived at your cramped dorm, you grabbed your suitcase and began shoving things into it, barely noticing your studying roommate. Taking everything out of your closet and off your desk was torture. 6 years. 6 fucking years. All for nothing.

Your roommate heard your mumblings and stopped her studying. "Um...(Y/N)? What are you doing?" She questioned.

"What does it look like?! I'm packing. Headmaster fuckface kicked me out." You grumbled, not even looking up from your throwing and shoving of things.

"What? You can't be serious..." she asked unconvinced and almost laughing. A look at your face, red-hot in anger, stopped her. "Oh my God, Are you ok?! I can't believe he would do that! I mean...your ideas are a little far fetched, to say the least, but that's nothing to kick you out for?"

"It may also have to do with the fact that I sucker punched his sorry ass." She gasped and covered her mouth.

"You did what?! (Y/N), why would you do that?! You could've just given up the thesis and continued learning. Or just _left_. For christ's sake, you're getting _payed_ to work here! Most people can't say that. Surely that's better than living on the street, even if you do have to give up your work!" She, as always, had a point. Were you being ungrateful? Were you just another pretentious asshole who " no one understands"? Your mind quivers at the thought of you having just abandoned your entire future simply because you thought you were a special little snowflake, just like everyone else in the goddamn world. You shook your head. What's done is done, and these thoughts aren't helping.

"No it's not. I have to pursue this, Lily. Believe me, I would quit it if I could, but what kind of scientist would I be if I gave up like that? What if Galileo had quit when the church told him to stop pursuing his theory that the earth revolved around the sun? I understand how crazy it sounds, I'm not an idiot. And it's not like my theories are backed up by evidence, but they won't even let me try! Where's their spirit of adventure! I mean isn't the whole point of science to fail so you can learn more? I have to at least try!" You cried at her. With that determined reply, her face softened. 

"I understand, but (Y/N), how can you research without any money? Or lab? (Y/N), you don't even have a bed to sleep in! Where will you go?" The realization of your current predicament hit you like a truck. You couldn't go back to your parents. They had spent their entire savings on your undergraduate studies, safe in the knowledge that you would work hard to get your degree. You couldn't go back empty handed and tell them that was all for nothing.

Tears threatened to spill onto your red, angry face, but you stopped them out of sheer desperation, holding on to the last shred of dignity left. It seemed as if your entire life was flashing before your eyes. You thought back to every decision and encounter that led you to this moment. Your parents, your unquenchable thirst for adventure, and-

You gasped. There was only one place you could go. You looked back at Lily and replied:

"Gravity Falls."


	2. The Silence of the Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait guys! I've had some weird stuff happening in my life lately and I really couldn't write that much. Hopefully I'll be able to update more quickly in the future, but please be patient with me.
> 
> Hope you like it tho!

Cold, wet and smelly. The desolate bus that you were currently residing in wasn't exactly first class. But it was the best money could buy, or, more accurately, the best _you_ could buy.

There were about 5 other people on this bus along with yourself, and they didn't seem too thrilled about their environment either. Good news, at least you wouldn't have to sit next to some boring schmuck who wanted to tell you his entire life story and ask you for yours. Bad news, you were lonesome as hell.

It was late at night, 11 or so, about 5 hours after you "quit" the school of your dream and packed your things. You had waited about two hours until a late enough hour so that the bus fare to Oregon was cheaper, but the later time busses made the company on the bus a hell of a lot more limited. You stared out the dark window, through the cool glass in the chilly summer's eve air. Everything is so silent at night, and that silence brought back the memories of your childhood.

 _Gravity Falls_. It's actually quite unbelievable that you were finally gonna return after all these years. That old mysterious town filled with all its wonder and dread. All those summers you spent there, running away from your stupid ass relatives and having adventures. Funny to think it was the same relatives you were running to now.

Aunt Maria, always worried about her goddamn azaleas. Her husband, Evan, drunk as Irish priest and preachy as one too. _Always_ lecturing you on this or that, and how you're satan's offspring and all that. Even their teenager was annoying as hell! He was always the type that played with bugs, and was probably being featured in one of those "To Catch a Predator" episodes. Worst of all, You had absolutely no clue how this family was even related to yours! Well, that fact actually did help your current conundrum, because they probably wouldn't call your parents straight away once you showed up. Only responsible people would do that. You could probably figure out some excuse to explain to them your presence while you found a more permanent solution.

One by one, the lonely people sitting on your bus got off, leaving you as the sole passenger. As the night deepened, your eyes fluttered shut into a light sleep. Both your spirit and body were weary of the past and rest was all you craved. The abrupt halt of the vehicle jolted you awake.

"Last stop, kid. Gravity Falls. You have to get out now." The man said, clearly in a rush to get home and leave this boring town. Groggily, you raised your woozy self from the seat and dragged the heavy suitcase behind you with the your remaining strength.

"Thanks for the ride." You quietly stated as you departed from the bus. Once you exited, the bus sped out from behind, leaving you, once again, completely alone at the empty bus stop. You looked around the familiar environment. Christ, it really had been a long time. With tired muscles and only the light of the moon and stars to guide the path, you willed yourself forward in the direction of your relatives' house, the last hope you had.

It was very early in the morning at that point, and it was particularly cold for a summer night. And of course,  _just your luck,_ you were wearing shorts and also didn't have a jacket out. Your breath even left a slight trail as you slowly walked. The silence of the night had crept it's way all around you. No crickets. No owls. The trees were static, as if the wind decided to take a holiday. Besides a lamppost at the front of the bus stop, there wasn't a single beam of light in the entire town. It was a ghost town, desolate, secluded and the silence made it hard to imagine any living thing ever living in it. Just a vast pile of nothing. It was what unsettled you the most. Not the dark. Not the loneliness. The _sound_.

You didn't even notice the familiar figure lurking behind you.

After a few minutes of your slow shuffles forward, a house faintly appeared in the distance. The same green and brown house from your childhood. Beside it was the same blasted garden your aunt always deemed infinitely more important than you could ever be. The old home seemed just as empty as your environment, and you debated whether or not to knock and disturb the sleeping residents. Upon further inspection, however, as you drew closer, the faint staticky voices of late night TV radiated from the building even when no light was visible.

You crept up the front steps up to the door and waited to see if you detected any sounds. Hearing none, you pondered as to your next moves. They could be sleeping, but then again, your alcoholic uncle was usually awake at this time. Seeing as you were all out of alternative options, aside from simply waiting on their porch until they woke up, you apprehensively pressed the doorbell.

**DING DONG**

You waited a second, but the building remained as undisturbed as it had started. So again, with trembling fingers, you pressed.

**DING DONG**

After yet another second of nothing, you loudly pounded at the door. Evidently, the pounding woke up the dog and boisterous barking bellowed throughout the entire house. A loud thump, that sounded like it came from the living room echoed throughout the hose and a light illuminated from the second story window. The TV was shut off and a bunch of rowdy footsteps followed.

"Who is that knocking at this hour?" Your uncle yelled behind the door, bottle in hand. He opened it to see you, tired out of your mind, on his front porch. "Y/N? What the fuck are you doing at our house at 4:00 in the goddamn morning? Don't you know better than to wake us up?" He yelled, just as hazy as you felt.

"I...The TV was on, I thought you were awake..." You mumbled sheepishly trying to explain your situation. "Sorry-"

"Evan, who is ringing the doorbell this late?" You aunt walked out in her pajamas, squinting at the light.

"It's Y/N, Emily's daughter."

"What is _she_ doing here? I thought we stopped babysitting her years ago?" Aunt Maria sneered, more at her husband than at you.

"I'm really sorry to disturb you, but I need a place to stay for a while. And since we're such close family I thought..." You began. She looked at you with a raised eyebrow and a disappointed frown.

"Look, we took you in all those summers because your mother promised to pay for part of our mortgage each month in return. But now the house is all payed up and you're a grown woman. So go take care of yourself like an adult and stop bothering us  _at 4 in the fucking morning!_ " Tears watered your eyes but through sheer stubbornness they didn't spill.

"Aunt Maria, please! I'm desperate! Come on, we're family. Can't I just stay a couple of days? I have nowhere else to go!" You groveled as your last hope was ripped apart by their indifference.

"We ain't your parents, we ain't obligated to take care of you. You're so desperate why don't you ask your actual parent's to help?" Maria slammed the door and yelled at her dog to stop it's yapping. The couple quickly thumped up the stairs and turned off their bedroom light once again, and with it the last place you could turn to vanished. Suddenly the night felt even more lonesome than it had. The tears that you welled up inside started peppering your cheeks as the will to keep them from falling faded. Pretty soon you began to sob into your arm.

What were you thinking?! Why did you have to be a smart ass and punch your headmaster in the face?! Why couldn't you just act like a normal person _for once?!_ Great going! How are you gonna be able to experiment your thesis, one which has to do with the fucking multiverse, if you're out on the street, starving and begging for money?

The sobbing just continued and you couldn't get it to stop. The once so unsettling silence of the night was only broken by your incessant crying and wailing, and it only resulted in making you even more depressed. There was no where you had left to turn to. You would have to go back to your parents and explain to them that you got yourself kicked out of college, essentially lost any possibility of earning your long sought after degree in Physics or Neuropsychology, and threw away all of the money they had poured in to your studies.

With glassy cheeks, you turned back away from the house that had left you stranded, and tried to make your way back to the bus station. Maybe there was a bench you could sleep on during the night as you waited for the 7 AM bus. With no other choice, you continued.

Once you made it back to the station, you stopped at the lamppost. Your sobbing only grew louder as you leaned onto it for support. It was all you could do to keep from falling onto the ground. You rubbed your arms for warmth while fatigue started to set in to your body. All you wanted at that moment, more than anything else, was a warm bed to sleep in.

As if things couldn't become any worse, the light you were so dearly holding onto went dark, leaving you alone with the stars and moon. There was absolutely no light left to see so you let of the now broken lamppost and fell to ground onto your suitcase. You huddled next to the front steps of the bus station and stared out into the vast nothingness of the forest. 

However, right then, you saw a faint light, behind all of the dark trees. With no alternative left, you picked yourself up from the ground, wiped the icy tears from your face, ceased your crying and started moving towards it. At a slow and heavy step in order to avoid all the branches and roots and keep from falling, you got closer and closer to the light. Soon enough, you were able to make out that the light was coming from a lamp, and saw that it was attached on top of a wooden sign, signaling to the right. Finally you reached it and found that the sign was directing you to a building.

It was old and rusty. the roof was uneven and the steps looked broken and unsafe. You looked up at the sign. The letters were half falling off, but you were able to read the familiar name.

_The Mystery Shack_

_I remember this place!_ This is where you would come everyday when you relatives ignored you! After hours of adventuring through the forest, you would come and laugh at all of the dumb tourists that believed all those objects and creatures were real.  _I can't believe I forgot about it._ All those fun times with- _gasp_

You ran to the front door and loudly pounded on it. 

**BANG!!!  BANG!!!**

_Please still be here. Please don't tell me you left._ Again, you threw all your strength into the punches on the door.

**BANG!!!  BANG!!!**

_For once in my goddamn life will work out in my favor!_ Still, the house remained placid and unruffled. Your ceased crying threatened to start up again as your lip began to quiver uncontrollably. With one last hurrah, a Hail Mary, you clobbered your fists at the wooden door to the point where it was painful. Splinters dug into your numb knuckles but that was the last thing going through your mind as you pursued this one last chance for hope.

**BANG!!!  BANG!!!**

You weren't religious, but in that second you prayed to every God you could think of for someone to hear be inside and hear your.

Evidently, someone heard you.

Just as you were giving up finally, you heard a light thumping down the stairs and you started gasping at the thought that _maybe_ things would work out. The door opened to reveal a young boy, obviously tired and groggy at having to wake up at this hour. You would've felt bad at forcing him out of his sleep like that, if you weren't so filled with hope in that moment to care. He started to say something, probably wondering what a strange woman was doing at 4 am outside his doorstep, but you cut him off.

"Does Stanford Pines still live here?!" You asked hurriedly and impatiently, trying to keep your voice from cracking and hiccuping after your long time crying. The boy rubbed his eyes, befuddled, and responded after becoming slightly agitated at your rushed tone.

"Yea-"

"Please, go get him." You pleaded. 

"Now wait just a minute there, who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Look, my name is Y/N  Y/L/N, I'm an old friend of his and I need help, please, go get him." He looked you up and down then sighed.

"Wait here." He closed and locked the door before thumping up the stairs again. The lights turned on upstairs and you became more and more flustered at the wait. Faint voices were audible from the house and soon enough you heard walking down the creaky stairs once again, this time distinguishably louder. The door opened once again to reveal the boy who greeted you. Beside him, stood the broad chested and sleepy Stanford Pines you remembered.

"Y/N? Is that really you?" He squinted at you, still sensitive to the light after waking up.

"Yeah... it's really me." Pausing for a second, he rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"Well, you better get inside, then." He pulled you in by the arm and quickly closed the door. "What are you wearing in this cold weather?" He exclaimed pointing at your inappropriate choice of outfit in the current temperature. "Dipper! Go get a blanket!" He yelled at the boy and he ran off. "Kid, I haven't seen you in forever. What are you doing back in Gravity Falls? And at this hour?"

"Stan, I need somewhere to stay. Please... I have no where else to go..." You looked at him with glassy eyes and pleaded with all your heart.

"What about your family here, wouldn't they-"

"I went to them first," You said, still trembling a little. "They wouldn't let me in. Apparently, the only reason they ever did was because my mother paid them." You almost started crying again, but you gulped it down. He grunted angrily.

"Well, I never liked those people, anyway! That woman never bought anything when she came to the shack!" He yelled in that raspy Stan voice that you remember. You laughed, the first time in a while. God you missed this place. The boy came back with a red blanket and you quickly wrapped yourself in it, savoring the warmth. "Of course you can stay here, kid. This place is always open to old friends." You smiled, finally receiving some kindness. "Now, I would  _love_ to hear about what trouble you've gotten into for this place to be your last resort, but I'm tired and so are you so why don't you tell me about it in the morning. Well... _later_ in the morning."

"You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that." 

"My niece and nephew are staying with me this summer, so unfortunately I have no more rooms left-"

"I'll sleep on the couch. Please it's more than enough." You replied smiling. Hell, it was more than your own fucking family gave you.

"Ok," he began walking up the stairs again and turned off the lights.  _Finally, the universe decided I deserved a fucking break._ You thought as you curled up on the warm sofa. " _Oh_ , and one more thing!" Stan said, appearing at the top of the stairs once more. "Don't think you're staying here for free! If you want to stay, I expect you working tomorrow at the shack! I don't allow strays..." He squawked down at you sternly. You laughed.

"I didn't expect less from you! Good night!" you shouted, still laughing. You turned off the last lamp next to the couch and got comfortable, sighing loudly.

The events of today were future you's problems. Now, present you was going to rest.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh what's gonna happen next? Haha  
> I was really mean to the reader in this chapter haha!
> 
> *I accept ALL constructive criticism, so if you didn't like something please comment below so I can better my writing.
> 
> *See more of my writing or request something on my Tumblr!
> 
> https://theimaginemindscape.tumblr.com


	3. What Now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY, I'm done. I made up for the wait time by making this little long. I got a serious case of writer's block in the middle of this chapter, but like all writers, I chugged through it by brute force of will. This is mostly an expositional chapter, but great stuff is coming. Trust me.

That night, you slept infinitely deeply, as if you had fallen into a coma. When you woke up, it felt like an 18 wheeler carrying dream sand had just rammed into you at full speed, a feeling that was surprisingly welcomed. Everything ached, but it was that nice kind of ache where you could actually feel your body beginning to heal from the horrorshow that was yesterday.

Your eyes opened and quickly became aware of your strange, yet familiar environment. At first you were bewildered at your location, but you remembered what happened after a second. The realization ruined your feeling of content and replaced it with dread. Yes, you found a place to sleep for the night... but now what?

Faint speaking in the background thankfully distracted you from these crippling thoughts, before they could cripple you. The boisterous voice of Stan bartering with gullible tourists echoed throughout the house. Besides that, your makeshift sleeping quarters remained relatively undisturbed. _What time is it anyways?_ Your unfocused eyes scoured the room until they peered into a grandfather clock. 1 PM. Everyone had left you to sleep in peace, thank God. The first break you had gotten all week.

Soon, you became aware of your grimy, probably smelly state. These were the same clothes you had worn for over 24 hours, and it _showed_. The large shirt on your shoulders was sticking to your body due to sweat, and overall you just felt  _sticky._ Your greasy hair wasn't doing much better in that regard, either. Yup, you needed a shower. Desperately.

Opening your suitcase, you retrieved the cheap shampoo and conditioner you took from your dorm. It wasn't the _best_ per say, but anything was undoubtedly better than nothing. Exploring upstairs, you entered a bathroom with a shower.

The sensation of peeling your filthy clothes like a second skin off of your even more disgusting body almost made you moan in relief. The warm water gleamed over your nude physique, dragging yesterday's events along with it, down the drain to be forgotten. Rubbing the shampoo into your hair, the bubbles fell down your back and tickled your skin. If heaven was real, this would be yours, especially compared to the hell of everything else. Usually, you didn't particularly like taking showers because you thought of it as waste of time. Before, it felt more like a chore; time better spent working or relaxing, but in that moment nothing else compared to some cool water and flowery smelling bubbles. Well, maybe at a spa resort in the Caribbean, but you weren't picky.

After washing yourself for what probably became over an hour, you wrapped yourself in a cozy towel and just sat on the chilly bathroom tile for a moment, simply breathing in the leftover steam, as if it could clean out the pain and filth inside just as it had done on the outside.

Just then, you realized that you had forgotten to bring clothes into the bathroom. Tiptoeing down the stairs again, you peered behind the wall in search of the suitcase. After spotting it, you attempted to tip-toe/sprint over to reach your garments without someone walking in on your half naked body. Not that you were shy or anything. It was just... kinda weird to show up at the house of a friend 30 or 40 years older than you while he was with his niece and nephew and parade around in a towel all around the living room like a crazy lady.

Thankfully, you were able to make it down the stairs and to your suitcase without any sudden acciden-

" _Look out!"_ someone cried and you turned away from your suitcase to see a big purple octopus thing jump out from no seemingly nowhere. You screamed at the top of your lungs and jumped out of the way, holding on to the sole piece of fabric keeping you decent. Suddenly, the kid you saw yesterday ran behind the creature along with another little girl about his age, immediately followed by a... pig, all while everyone screamed at the top of their lungs. 

"Get that octopus monster!" The girl yelled. Sitting up from the awkward position you fell into, you realized the octopus thing was right next to your face and on top of the suitcase. It opened its mouth to reveal a circular array of teeth and let out a growling, screaming sound, tentacles waving in the air. Out of sheer instinct, more wanting to just get the thing away from you than actual bravery, you took a free hand off of your towel and punched it square in the side with all your might, knocking it to the ground. The boy quickly ran over to the incapacitated _thing_ to put it in a jar, panting. Once it was contained everyone stopped yelling and you stared, perplexed, at whatever just happened.

"There you go. Shouldn't be able to do any harm from here," the boy stated, inspecting it.

"Um...what _is_  that thing?!" You exclaimed, still very confused at the entire situation that just went down.

"Oh! Uh...the forest has a lot of... peculiar wildlife." He laughed nervously. You raised an eyebrow in disbelief but decided to go along with it. It _was_ Gravity Falls, after all. Turning around, the kid noticed your towel covered form and got very flustered. "Oh-um...sorry for... I mean I didn't mean to... the thing just- and I went- um.." he stuttered, trying to avoid making eye contact.

"Hah! Excuse my brother's dorkiness," the girl giggled. "It's been a while since he's seen another female not related to him. _HEYO_!" She punched him in the arm with a crazed look in her eyes.

"Mabel!" He hollered while you just laughed in amusement.

"No worries, kid, I was the one prancing around with only a towel in the middle of the living room!" You pointed out in an attempt to make him feel less embarrassed, picking up some clothes. "Speaking of which! I should go get dressed."

"You did a -uh- great job with the monster!" The boy remarked, still slightly uncomfortable.

You looked at him for a moment. "I know kung fu," you whispered making fighting hand gestures and in the most Keanu Reeves voice you could muster.

After changing into some light jeans and a big flannel, you went out to greet them again, this time decent. "Ah, that's better," you exhaled, sitting down on the couch next to the two kids who were ogling at their newfound... pet. Or Pokemon. _Whatever it was_. "I'm (Y/N), by the way."

"I'm Mabel, and this is my dorky twin brother, Dipper! But you already met him," she shouted excitedly. Dipper just kind of looked away, blushing awkwardly. You didn't think any worse of him though, as reminded you a lot of yourself at that age.

"So you're Stan's nephews? Huh, I didn't realize he had any family." You inquired.

"Well, he's our _great_ uncle, technically." Mabel leaned in. "He's really _old_!" she whispered. You laughed again.

"I should actually go talk to him. He's probably really confused as to why I'm here."

"How do you know our uncle anyways? He doesn't usually do favors for people, especially for free." Dipper asked.

You began the long story that was your odd friendship with Stan. "Well, ever since I was your age, my parents would send me to Gravity Falls to live with relatives, just like you two. Except, my relatives didn't exactly pay attention to me or even take care of me at all. So everyday, I would go out early in the morning to have adventures in the wilderness, and that eventually led me here, to the Mystery Shack."

~~~

_13 years earlier..._

In the hot summer day, during your daily exploration through the forest, you found yourself being led by signs all pointing in a single direction. With "Come and See!" written on the bright wooden arrows with paint. Having the curiosity of a cat, you followed the signs, hoping for something to quit your unending boredom. Soon enough, the signs led you to a shabby old house with a sign labelled "The Mystery Shack." Littered around the house were strange objects, like a giant totem pole, and signs daring you to enter.

Ecstatic, now that you had found something new and different, you entered the shack in search of the so called "mystery". Instead of that, you opened the door to find a crappy gift shop. Weird objects sat around the room, _so_ obviously fake it was almost hilarious. Most of them just looked like a guy sewed together random dead things and made up a name for them. There was a rabbit with antlers, a rock that had other rocks pasted on to them to look like a face, a duck or a goose that was somehow deformed to look like a dodo bird. Jars containing odd body parts filled the entire room. You were not impressed.

Being from the city, your parents always warned you about these types of people. They created cheap, strange lookin' creatures that were just messed up enough to be considered "exotic" or "supernatural" by dumb tourists who wanted to take pictures. However, having nothing better to do, you took a look around.

The place had a few people browsing the merchandise, but not enough for it to be considered busy. They mostly consisted of families that had come because it was cheaper than the Bahamas but still "spooky" enough to be considered an "adventure". Just as you were about to leave in disappointment, a weird man stopped in front of you.

"Well, HELLO there unsuspecting customer. Would you like to buy this exclusive mug with a question mark on it? It's supernatural," he announced while wiggling his fingers "spookily". He wore a black suit and a red fez with a sort of... Pac Man lookin' thing on it.

"Um, no...thanks?" You said, awkwardly turning away from the strange man. He ran over in front of you again.

"What about the legendary monkey fish! It's a rare species seen by few in the....uh Atlancific Ocean! Only $200!" He took out a creature that is half monkey and half fish, as the name would suggest, and proceeded to motion his fingers in awe at his taxidermy nightmare. You raised your eyebrow.

"Do you think I'm an idiot? I'm 11, not a moron. Besides, I _wish_ I had $200 to spare. Do you know how many games of _Street Fighter_ I could play with that! I definitely wouldn't spend it on...whatever poor animals you found at a pawn shop." Of course, the fact that you were in on the scam made you feel super smart.

"You and me both, kid. That's why I have this job. It's the only job you put absolutely no work or effort into, but bank on the stupidity of people and there's definitely no shortage of that!" He pointed over to a man staring idly at a bobblehead, giggling creepily. He booped his finger on the head again and continued his weird, sweaty fascination. As you cringed at the true stupidity of humanity, an idea popped into your head.

"Yup, sure seems like a pretty good gig here you got here. But say...," You turned your head both ways, pretending to look around. "I don't see many kids here. Seems to _me_ like you're missing out on an entire demographic full of susceptible, gullible customers. Think of it." You made a rainbow hand gesture at the room full of people. " _All_ those dumb children with all that allowance and rich grandparent birthday money! It's going _straight_ to the arcade! If only you had someone who could- I don't know- 'advertise' to those stupid kids."

"What are you playing at, kid?" Inquired the man, apprehensively narrowing his eyes.

" _You_ have a large potential demographic to exploit but you lack the... what's the word... ' _charisma',_ to market to them without looking like a pedophile, while _I_ have enough charm and wit to trick said demographic, a long summer ahead of me with nothing to do, and an empty wallet in much need for candy money. It seems to me we could... help each other out?" He just laughed a little in a condescending manner that adults always do.

"Look kid, you seem smart, but what could  _you_  do to help? My business is doing fine, and I don't need any snot-nosed children taking part of the payroll. Besides, I'm _great_ with kids!" A small child looked at his general direction and spontaneous began to cry. His mother grabbed him and slowly backed away from the old man with her screaming child.

"Uh'huh, you were saying?" You taunted in a sing-songy voice. He scoffed and walked away. Glaring in disgust at his patronizing tone, you folded your arms. "Oh yeah. I'll prove it to you." You raked around the semi-crowded Shack in search of your next victim. At last, you spotted him, right next to a table full of crappily taped small cardboard boxes covered in question marks. "Watch this."

You strode over to the nerdy looking kid with glasses, sporting a T Rex shirt and dinosaur cap. He was with his parents, but they were more occupied with some of the weird creatures, granting you the opening to take your shot. At first you just stood there, admiring the boxes. Then loudly, you squeaked and grabbed one, maintaining a curious grin and chuckling, grabbing the boy's attention. You put the box close to your ear and shook it to hear the contents inside, squeaking again at the sound.

" _Wow_." You said, staring in pretend awe at the red, question marked box. "Check this out!" Without warning, you shoved it in the face of the poor guy you were about to trick. 

"What?" He asked. "What's so cool? It's just a box." You acted shocked.

"It's _extremely_ cool! But I can't tell you why. It's a..." you leaned in close and whispered, "Secret."

"What? Tell me, come on." He whispered back, already falling into your trap.

"OK, just promise you won't tell anyone," you faked a giddy look.

"I promise, now what is it!?" He asked nervous, still in a whisper.

"Ok, ok. So last week, my cousin Benny got one of these mystery boxes, thinking it was gonna be a knick knack of some sort, right? But when he opened it he found-" you brought him closer "A dinosaur tooth!" The poor soul looked at you with excitement.

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah! Turns out, all these boxes contain little parts of fossils and strange creatures. The man who owns this place, buys them from the government. Area 51 stuff! That's why these boxes are so expensive! I mean something as cool as a dinosaur tooth of course is gonna be $30, and even then its a total steal! You should buy it!" You nudged him harshly and tossed the box at him.

"I don't know, my parents won't buy me knick knacks like these... they say it's a waste of money!" The boy stated sadly and looked down.

"But this isn't just ANY knick knack! You have an allowance don't you?"

"Yeah, but I was saving it for the arcade later, I don't have enough for both." Sighing, he began to walk away from you, but even then you didn't give up so easily.

"Come on, arcades are everywhere these days, but where else can you buy an _actual dinosaur tooth_! You can't let this pass!" You screamed into his face, grabbing him by the collar.

"I don't know, should I?" He rubbed his neck in concentration, looking at the small box.

"Yes! Come on go get it before your parents can say no! All the kids at school are gonna be so jealous of you! I mean I'm jealous of you already!" He smiled, finally making up his mind.

"Alright, I'll do it!" He sauntered over to where the old man was. By this point, he had stopped paying attention to your little game. His jaw audibly dropped when the boy slammed down the box onto the table along with the rest of his allowance money, soon to be your money.

"I'll just have this, thank you." He said politely. The man stared in awe at your work as you smirked at him with crossed arms. After receiving his receipt, the boy walked over back to you and started to open the box.

"Wait! Don't do it here! If anyone sees it here the secret will be out and everyone will buy the boxes until there are none left. Wait until you get home!"

"OH, gotcha." He murmured and winked at you, thinking he was so smart. Oh, if he only knew the truth.

"Tyler! We're leaving!" The boy's family called to him by the door.

"Coming!" He looked at you again. "Man, thanks for getting me to buy this. I can't wait to open it!" He walked over to his family, giggling like a little girl at his "steal" and left the shack. Smirking non-stop at your success, you wandered over back to the man who was counting his, or your, bounty.

"You were saying..." You looked at your nails, all cool-like.

"Not bad kid, not bad." He smiled. 

"That's just a _taste_ , of what I can do. You need someone on the inside who can get those kids to give up their money cause let's face it, you're kind of hopeless."

"Alright, alright. For every kid you scam, I'll give you...  _one whole dollar_ in return," he exclaimed, trying to make me believe just how much money a _whole dollar_ really was. Yet again, you raised your eyebrow in disbelief.

"Don't try to scam a scammer, old man. I'm from New York, I know what my work's worth. I demand 40%."

"Hah, in your dreams kid. How about 10%."

"Nope. 25% minimum. I'm spending _my_ summer vacation helping _your_ business, this is the least I deserve."

"20%. I'm not going higher than that, kid. Do we have a deal?" He extended his hand out to shake yours.

"Deal." You agreed and shook his hand to settle it. "I'm (Y/N)(Y/M/N) (Y/L/N)." You introduced yourself.

"Stan Pines. Welcome to the Mystery Shack! Now, I expect you here to work every day! No slacking! Those kids aren't going to rip themselves off!"

"Alright, but let's start by you giving me _my_  money. And by the way, I learned algebra this year so I'll know if you cheat me."

"You drive a hard bargain."

"It's called a fair deal, but hustling people for so long must have made you forget."

"Hey, I take pride in my hustles! It takes brains fool these idiots!"

~~~

"...And thus began my amazing years in Gravity Falls. By day I was Stan's partner in crime, but by night, well more like 5 pm, I would go out into the forest and search for the magical things in this town that go bump in the night." They looked at you in wonder about your story.

"Why did you stop coming? If you're so close to Stan how is it that he's never talked about you?" Dipper questions.

"Eventually...you just gotta grow up. Hustling dumb kids was good for spending money, but it was sure as hell not enough to get me through college. I had to get a _real_ job during the summer! Then I went off to college and...things just sort of slipped away. I haven't seen your grunkle since I was _15_. I always _wanted_ to visit, but when you have late bills to pay, exams to take, and projects to half-ass, you can't really focus on the past." The two kids looked at you sincerely, but only half understanding. I mean how could they truly _get_ it? "In fact, I should probably go out and explain my presence to him."

"Can we come?" Asked Mabel, looking at you intensively.

"No... I think we need to catch up alone, right now. But don't worry, after this I expect _you_ ," pointing at Dipper, "to explain to me exactly what that octopus thing was and _you_ ," pointing at Mabel, "to tell me how you managed to get Stan on board with you keeping a _pig_ in the house," you said as you walked outside to greet Stan.

You found him lounging in his white underclothes as usual on the porch, drinking some Pitt Cola. "Hey, old timer, don't you think it's time you start putting on some pants when you go outside?" You pointed out laughing. He looked at you as you sat down in the chair next to him.

"Laugh all you want, but when you get to be my age I'd like to see _you_ successfully put on pants every morning."

"I take that as a challenge." You chuckle softly. A short awkward pause followed before Stan broke it.

"How long has it been since I saw you last? 10 years?"

"Yup, just about." You confirmed, sighing.

"Jesus, I'm getting old. I really should stop calling you kid." Another awkward pause followed.

"You know, I really meant to come back before now, I just got preoccupied with everything. Time just...flew by so fast." You looked into your hands in shame at having abandoned your old friend for so long.

"Time always does. (Y/N), why are you here? Not that I'm not happy to see you, but I thought you'd be at some snobby rich kid college doing experiments and stuff like you wanted." Sighing, you explained your situation.

"I'm supposed to be, I mean I _was_  a day ago it's just... well... let's just say that the headmaster and I had a bit of a _falling out._ You see, we wanted different things out of life, we had a different vision as to wha..."

"You beat him up, didn't you." He interrupted.

Sighing, you admitted "Yes, I beat him up." He chuckled.

"Heh, taught you well, didn't I kid?" He took a large swig of his cola.

"I mean he _totally_ deserved it, that prick. But now I'm out of a college, degree, and job so I don't really know where I'm gonna go or what I'm gonna do. I mean, my parents are bound to find out sometime, and _that's_ gonna be fun." You sulked down in your chair at the weight of your problems. Stand noticed this and put his hand on your shoulder.

"Hey, chin up, kid. You can stay here as long as you need to get things straight." He smiled at you. You really could always count on him.

"Thanks. I really need that right now." A comfortable silence follows the conversation, until it is broken again by you with a less depressing topic. "So, I just met Dipper and Mabel, they seem like great kids. A bit weird but, who isn't at that age. You never told me you had a family though! I always thought you were one of those cliché war veterans who "lost everything during 'nam" including your family or something." You said chuckling.

"My family is a _little_ complicated, but..." he looked back to where Dipper and Mabel were sitting inside, "I love these kids. But don't tell _them_ that, they're gonna think I'm going soft!"

"My lips are sealed," You assure him while doing the key motion with your lips. He took another sip of his cola.

"Whelp, Mystery Shack gonna be full again pretty soon and I expect you to work your worth, (Y/N). Just cause I'm letting you stay here doesn't mean I'm letting you stay for free." He gets up to go inside.

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it."

The rest of the day was spent reliving your childhood days at Gravity Falls. While you no longer scammed kids out of their lunch money, you still lied a little to the customers about the wondrous stories that were contained in the merchandise. Turns out, you hadn't lost your touch. Many a unsuspecting customer wandered through and bought junk at your insistence. Guess some things never really change.

You also met the new Mystery Shack Gang. There was this really friendly handyman named Soos who seemed to always be breaking stuff, yet immediately fixing them right after. You don't really remember him from when you were in town but he was probably a few years younger. You also met Wendy, who was the cashier. You definitely remember her, on the count of her being a Corduroy. Her family was always great, though sometimes you used to find them hunting bears with their bare hands when you went into the woods...

It made you genuinely happy to see that Stan had so many awesome people in his life. Even as a kid, he always struck you as lonely, like he was looking for someone. Knowing that he hasn't been alone these past few years, relieved some of the worry in your heart.

At the end of the day, as things started winding down, everyone said their goodnights and prepared to sleep. For once, you felt content over the actions that occurred throughout the day, not painful shame and torturous regret.

_So why then, could you not fall asleep?_

For hours, you tossed and turned on your makeshift bed. For some reason, despite the fact that you were tired, your body would not shut down for the night. _Was it cause I woke up at like 1 in the afternoon?_ You thought. Left with no other alternative, you tiptoed to the door and took off without a sound. The cool summer air nipped at your skin refreshingly, and you roamed with only the moonlight as a guide through the town once more.  _The forest. A walk in there is sure to tire me out enough to finally get to sleep._

You made it to the thin patch of the forest, where the trees looked like they had eyes on them. Just as it always had in your childhood, the feeling of being watched permeated the atmosphere. The calming crickets and soothing wind soon eased your churning mind while you sat at the root of one of the bigger trees. For a little, at least. But of course, all good things must come to an end.

The same dreadful thoughts that awakened you that morning soon invaded your mind like a pathogen once more.  _What's your genius plan now (Y/N)?_ _Are you gonna tell your parents? You have to eventually. They spent **all**_   _that money on college, and for what? So you could punch the headmaster just because you couldn't control your own goddamn temper._

Helplessness washed over your body and you couldn't help yourself from crying. It was silent, an art you mastered many years ago, but tears fell down your face. You couldn't think of a single way this situation could turn out well for you. It was summer, in a few weeks your parents would expect you at home with your childish smile and thousands of stories about stupid teachers and weird students. They would expect a nationally ranked thesis about the universe that was going to change the world, but you would arrive with a suitcase and a simple apology instead. Crying soon turned to sobbing as you wallowed in your self pity. 

_In all those stories my parents told me, about overcoming obstacles even when they seem insurmountable, where scientists, artists, and dreamers continued their work despite the fact they had one dollar to their name and not a single soul supported them, they never told me about **this.**_

As you had done before, many nights in your lifetime, you cried yourself to sleep, letting the natural sounds of summer's eve mix with your pained, choked sobs and serve as your lullaby. In that familiar patch of the forest, the peacefulness brought on by the drug of sleep finally silenced your stormy consciousness...but not for long. From seemingly all around you, a distorted voice lent it's hand out to you in the depths of your despair. 

_"Need a hand, doll?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After 3 whole chapters of teasing I've FINALLY introduced him into the story.  
> Don't worry, you won't have to wait another 2 months for the next chapter. I have a lot more free time now that it's summer.
> 
> *I welcome ALL constructive criticism, so please leave your comments below as to what I can do better next time.


	4. Friend or Foe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW! Two chapters in less than a week? I didn't wait another fucking millennia before sitting down and writing the next chapter? WOW, I must be on drugs! Haha NOPE, just 5 shots of caffeine hehe. This chapter is slightly shorter but I introduced a whole lotta plot so it should be fine.

"Need a hand, doll?" A voice called out to you, in a whisper. A curiously familiar voice it was. It was a distorted high pitch, yet menacing in that "it would be so fun to watch you dance" kind of way.

The sobbing subsided as you looked up to investigate where the voice came from, but strangely, there was not a soul in sight.  _Come on, (Y/N), don't lose your head, it's the only thing you got left._ Wiping your tears on your sleeves, you listened for the voice, but yet again only the howling of the wind filled the air. _It's this creepy place, all these eyes staring back at me. Stop being so paranoid. Let's get back to bed._

"I said..." The voice called out again, this time much louder, turning your head to the source of it. On one of the trees, you were greeted with a big glowing eye and gasped as a yellow triangle materialized around it. " _Need a hand, doll?"_ He asked again, the distorted voice pervading in your ears, forcing you to cover them with your hands.

The wind shrieked and moaned, causing the trees to violently thrash about. You stared in panic and shock as the familiar world around you morphed into your darkest nightmares. Beginning from the eye triangle, a curtain of grey dulled all of your surroundings as your heart began beating rapidly in horror. Only you and that...thing remained colorful against the now dull background.  _What the fuck was happening?_

"Wha-what are you?!" You yelled at the creature, attempting to sound at least a little intimidating. However, your scared shitless nature made that a little hard. Getting up from your position at the root of the tree, you stood on unbalanced feet as your entire body trembled furiously. 

"Relax, Star Eyes," the eye raised it's single eyebrow and floated down to your level, just as your environment began to calm down. You took a closer look at the creature. It looked like the eye pyramid at the back of the dollar bill, except with a few alterations. A tall top hat rested on the tip of the pyramid and he wore a bowtie. Skinny black arms carrying a glowing yellow cane along with two legs extended from his body, with long thick lashes accentuating his one eye. "The name's Bill Cipher!" He raised his top hat in greeting, "And I couldn't help but notice how you were wallowing in a pool of self pity over here, (Y/N)!" You were too frightened to care about his remark.

"How do you know my name!" You demanded. Although the threat of danger had mostly passed, as he didn't seem like he was planning on harming you, it was still extremely freaky to see an anthropomorphic yellow triangle know who you are. His dramatic entrance didn't help either to calm your nerves.

"Let's just say I've had my _**eye**  _on you for a while, and I believe  _you_ " his arm elongated over to poke you with his cane, "are in need of my services."

"And why do you say that?" You asserted. He laughed his crazy, maniac laugh and got up real close to you. Despite only having a single eye for a face, lacking a mouth or a nose, you were still able to identify distinct facial expressions. Currently he wore one of almost childlike giddiness at your obvious discomfort.

"Did I not just hear you crying about how you ruined your life? About how you jeopardized the entire future your parents payed for in order to prove a point? Or did my non-existant ears deceive me?" The shame of your previous actions seeped into your chest once more, rekindling the painful tightness you had before this nightmare began. You couldn't believe this guy was present to one of the lowest, most depressing moments in your life and jokes about it. " _Anywho_ , It's a good thing I was listening, because I can help solve your little problem!"

"You...can?" You questioned. Could he really solve all of your problems if he wanted to?

"Sure I can! Being an all powerful mind demon made up of pure energy has its perks. And it looks to me like you could use them! What if I told you that not only is your theory on the multiverse and the mind correct, but also that I could help you prove it with a snap of my fingers?" You froze. Did really he just say that? Did he really just say the theory you spent the last four years developing, the theory you fought for throughout graduate school, the theory you got kicked out for, was true all along? The theory that humans can make connections to other dimensions during dreams was correct?

"I'd say you were hustling me," You truthfully answered. He just laughed again.

"Smart kid, but this time you'd be wrong!" Suddenly he snapped his fingers and writing appeared on his triangle like a screen. "I saw your little thesis and my, my you sure are close to some _big_ answers! In fact, where do you think we are right now?" He motioned around at your surroundings. "Welcome, doll, to the Mindscape!"You stood there, shocked.

"Shut. Up. Really?!" You acted like a teenage girl when she finds out her crush likes her back.

"I'm from the second dimension," he said, materializing a flat solar system next to him, "and you live in the third dimension," the planets rose up to be three dimensional, "but with a little crazy mind demon powers, I can connect to your mind while you're dreaming."

Of course! Just as you had predicted in your thesis! All of your research on the mind pointed to the fact that it had the ability to reach beyond this reality, and after years of studying you were finally experiencing it! You almost started hyperventilating. "I-I can't believe this!" You stuttered due to your sheer excitement. You were right! Just as Galileo was right that the earth revolved around the sun!  _Take **that** fucking Headmaster Miller! I was **fucking**  right, asshole!_

"I could help you, Star Eyes. I could help you prove _all_ this and more! With me, you'd become the next Newton. Hell, even greater than that old geezer!" He got up real close to you. "You'd be proving the multiverse and showing the to world all the capacities of the mind! Think of all the awards you'd receive and all the scientific units you'd be named after!" 

"I've always wanted to be a unit..." You said longingly. It was the dream of every scientist. _He_ _really can solve all my problems,_ you thought. Everything you felt before, all the pain, shame and guilt over your hasty actions could be solved right now by this... illuminati knock off."All I ask is for a little... _ **favor** , _in return." You stopped in your tracks.  _Goddammit, universe why can't you let me have nice things!_  Of _course_ , there had to be a catch to this. Reality wouldn't be so fair to you as to actually give you a break once in a while! How stupid of you to think so?

"Wha-What kind of favor?" You inquired.  _Please don't ask for my soul. Please don't ask for my soul._ He snickered yet again.

"Haha! What would I do with a useless thing like that?" He retorted, reading your mind. "No, no, no. What I ask for is much more simple. All I want is you!" He said in a matter fact kind of way, making you extremely hesitant.

"Me?" _Don't tell me this is gonna turn into some weird ass demon sex-slavery thing._

"Haha! I like the way you think, doll, but no! More accurately, I want your _body,"_ he motioned his hands into curves as he spoke. As always, you raised your eyebrow.

"May I ask, _why_?"

"You see, this universe has grown on me. Three dimensions? Sheesh, you humans actually have depth here! As well as depth perception! But I can only visit this universe through the Mindscape inside people's dreams. A physical vessel could come in handy once in a while!" Bill circled around you, admiring your form up and down. "And what a fine one yours is!" _Oh, boy this is gonna turn out great._

He paused in front of you, noticing your distressed countenance. "Relax, doll. I won't be using you all the time. Let's just say there's a day coming up very soon where a body like yours could be very useful to a mind demon like me!" He laughed again. "Though I'm willing to take the whole sex slavery thing as a bonus, if you're offering!" He said in a mocking tone.

"Thanks, but no thanks. Fucking a Cool Ranch Dorito isn't exactly on my bucket list." You retorted back, sarcastically.

"Dorito? Wow, I've never heard _that one_ before!" He retorted, obviously annoyed.

"What exactly do you plan to do with my body  _if_  I decide I like your proposal? What 'day' do you need it for?"

"What's it to you, Star Eyes?"

"I don't wanna wake up one day to find myself detached of all limbs, positive for 20 STD's and harboring 10 pounds of cocaine up my nose, asshole! You're not gonna scam me, _doll._ "

"Haha! I like you. Very practical! I actually need your body for another deal I made a long while ago. I just need to borrow it for a second, talk to someone about a little object I have my eye on, and then you're home free! Peace of cake!"

"Thats...all?" You questioned, unconvinced by his answer.

"Does this look like a face that would lie to you?" He pokes his finger in his blushing cheek and smiles like a baby, fluttering his eyelashes.

"Yes. Very much so." You said blankly.

"Alright, alright. Look, doll. I have  _all_  the secrets of the universe.  _Past_ ,  _Present_ ,  _Future_. From the creation of the universe to its end, I know  _all_!" With a blaze of light, a lightning bolt shot out of his cane and hit you in the temple. In a single moment, galaxies manifested in your mind, you could  _see_ the multiverse and the beauty of creation. The knowledge hit you like a tsunami hits a glass of water. It was over in a flash, the sensation overwhelming every fiber of your body, leaving you gasping and breathing heavily like an asthmatic after a marathon. "And you could too! But in my world, everything has a price. This is my price, let me into your body, star eyes, and I can show you  _everything!_ That little trick with the lightning? Child's play! Seems to me like letting me take your physical form out for a spin one time is a small price to pay in exchange for everything you've ever desired to know and more!"

"I...I don't know," you shakily said as you pondered his offer. _Possession?_   _That doesn't sound good..._

"You watch too much TV, star eyes! It's not so much _possession_ as it is going for a joyride! Everyone loves joyrides!"

"Not when you're the goddamn car!" You howled.  _Should I really trust someone I just met with something as intimate as my own flesh and blood? Hell, it takes me a long time to decide what drink I want at McDonalds, let alone whether or not you wanted to rent your body out like a prostitute to an all powerful being._

"Tell you what, Star Eyes, take the day to think about it. Hell, take the whole week if you want. Doesn't matter to me." He snapped his fingers again to create a black portal. "Whenever you get back to your senses, I'll be waiting! Ready to make a deal!"

"Wait! How do I even know you're real?! How do I know this isn't all in my head!"

"Hahaha! Of _course_ this is all in your head! Why does that mean I'm not real?" He responded of course in an infuriatingly vague riddle. "Remember! If you ever need a being powerful enough to travel across dimensions, you know who to call!  _Bye_!" With that he disappeared into his portal without a trace. As soon as he did, a blinding white light overtook you, causing a deafening bloodcurdling scream to rise up in your throat.

~~~

Sweating and heaving, you awoke back at your former location under a tree, the rising sun casting a dark red orange glow on your surroundings. The world appeared the same, just as calm as you left it. Once again the wind blew softly and the trees groaned quietly. How could it be when so much had changed in the short while you were asleep? You hit your head back against the tree trunk in frustration. Did that really just happen to you? It felt so real...

After catching your breath, you stood up shakily. Everything ached, from your chaotic mind to your cramped toes. Turns out that walk rendered you much more troubled than you started. Sighing, you began the return trip back to the shack in the early gleam of dawn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOH plot. Juicy.  
> Added in (kinda) a Harry Potter quote at the end for good measure. I feel like it fit the mood.
> 
> *As always I welcome ALL constructive criticism so please leave any complaints or suggestions down in the comments!


	5. Back to Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I CANNOT BELIEVE that I hit over 1000 hits! I want to thank all of you who gave me Kudos or left a comment. You guys have given me so much support and it really means so much when you guys write nice stuff to me. It definitely does not go unnoticed.
> 
> This chapter is mostly to develop the friendship between Dipper and Reader. Not super exciting but I thought it was necessary. Hope you enjoy!

For the second time in the past two days, you arrived at the Mystery Shack confused, tired and seeking shelter. Laying down on the couch, you thought about the events that had just happened. _Was it a dream?_ It had to have been a dream. Falling asleep in an uncomfortable position, late at night, in a strange environment which already made you paranoid had to have caused it. That's the only explanation. _But it felt so real...And that triangle guy...Bill, you could have sworn you've seen him before. But where?_

Rest assured, you did not sleep for the rest of the morning, and these convoluted questions remained in your mind's eye the entire day. It was extremely hard concentrating on anything for long periods of time without delving back into your insane consciousness. Sitting at the cash register, you couldn't think of anything else except trying to decode the strange being that may or may not have actually visited you in your dreams.

One thing, however, was absolutely certain. When he zapped you with that lightning bolt...you saw incomprehensible wonders. Your brain still hurt from the sheer magnitude of everything you saw in that single moment, and your body trembled as you picked at the memory like a scab. It was definitely some X-Files level shit. Aliens, monsters, universes... he said that was only a taste of what he had to offer you. Maybe it was worth taking his deal, in order to obtain all that knowledge. _But he's not real...he can't be._  

You didn't realize just how gone you were until a waving hand in front of your face snapped you out of your daydream and threw you back into reality.

"Hello! Earth to (Y/N)!" Dipper yelled as you blinked furiously. "Man, you are really out of it today. What are you thinking about?" Dipper questioned.

"Nothing. I've, uh, I've had a lot on my mind lately." You vaguely reply.

"Is it about your college?" You gasped at his remark. "We heard you and Grunkle Stan talking about it yesterday." You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms.

"You mean you were eavesdropping..." You corrected, a bit snappily before sighing. "Yeah... Word to the wise, Dipper, don't punch your headmaster. It'll really come back to bite you in the ass." Your light tone changed to a bitter one. "No matter _how_ much he deserves it." He laughed.

"Thanks, I'll try to keep that in mind. Why'd you punch him, anyways?"

"Long story short, I was one of the best Physics and Neuroscience students at that university. The headmaster, however, thought my ideas were idiotic, told me to abandon years planning and writing in order to do what literally everyone else was doing, and he didn't even give me a chance to prove myself, so I proved that my fist could break his nose instead," pausing a second, " _But I'm not bitter_. That's why I came here to Gravity Falls, to start my experiments again and prove my ideas. This was the place where I developed them after all."

"Really?"

"Yeah, buddy. All those mysterious creatures and strange phenomena? Even as a kid, I figured there must be some sort of explanation for them, and in search of those explanations I was driven to science."

"You-you've seen those creatures too?" He asked hopefully.

"What do you _think_? Of course I have, you'd have to be living under a rock to not notice anything weird in this town."

"Sorry, it's just... everyone here seems oblivious to this town. No matter how many times we almost die trying to stop some monster, everyone just goes back to their lives like nothing happened." 

"Yeah... Get used to it. That's how the entire world is. People don't like things that challenge how they believe the world works. They'll do anything to avoid changing their viewpoints." Bitterly, you replied. "Anyways, let's stop talking about my entire life's story, eh? What about you? Got any spooky stories about your summer here?" You asked, praying for the conversation to take a different turn.

"Do I? I have tons! This one time Mabel and I searched for the giant lake monster!" He began his tales of adventure. It was a good thing the shack was empty that day, as you became enthralled with all of his stories. Monsters and magic and ghosts, they fought them all, each time finding ingenious ways to defeat them. Seems this town hasn't lost its...  _quirkiness_.

"And the Mini Golf Course? It's actually run by these little mini golf people that guide the ball through the windmills and the holes!" You chuckled.

"Wow, Dipper. You two seem to attract trouble wherever you go! I'm almost jealous. How do you know so much about this town's secrets?" You lightheartedly ask, not expecting the obvious hesitation that Dipper replied with.

"Well, I...uh" he paused, pensively. "I...better go get Mabel. She's probably harassing some poor boy, and Stan'll have our heads if he finds us slacking." He let out a nervous laugh and backpedaled out of the room.  _Well he's **definitely** hiding something... should I pry? _You thought.  _Nah, he'll probably tell me eventually._

And with that, perplexing daydreams ran rampant through your mind once more. As the day went on, you were in a perpetual state of passive disinterest to everything that occurred, similar to that of dreams. You were constantly playing the game of real or not real, tallying the evidence for each side trying to make a final decision but always unable to. Whether the being actually visited you or not was irrelevant, his presence haunted you either way.

The only thing that snapped your mind to the present was spending time with Stan and the twins. From water balloon fights, to just hearing crazy stories about Stan's failed scam attempts, it had been a long while since you laughed so hard. The enthusiasm and joy for adventure that the twins never ran out of was practically contagious and it managed to distract your distressed consciousness, while Stan's crotchety old man behavior filled you with nostalgia for those old times. The fact that they weren't your blood relatives didn't matter at all. They treated you as if you had always been there, and certainly better than your actual blood relatives.

When you were able to let go of your thoughts, you truly felt content at your situation. Between studying for exams and working summer jobs, you had forgotten just how satisfying it was to have a slow, summer day with nothing eventful occurring.

However, as the sun travelled lower and lower on the horizon you grew more worried about the events that would unfold in your dreams that night. Would he revisit you? Would you have the same exact dream as the night before? Would you dream _at all_? The more you thought, the more you pushed those thoughts away.

No matter your objections, the day winded down into night, but you just remained in the kitchen thinking about everything over a cup of tea. Just like before, Dipper walked in and interrupted your anxiety session.

"Hey Dipper! Just made some tea if you want some. It's mint!" You say excitedly, disguising your inner turmoil with glee. He remained uncharacteristically silent and looked at you hesitantly. You put your tea down and leaned forward in genuine concern for your friend. "Hey, you okay, buddy?"

"Can I...show you something?" He nervously asked and sat down at the table in front of you, obviously very troubled by something.

"Sure, anything. Except what's in Stan's "secret" drawer. That I can live without." You chuckled unapologetically at your own joke. Dipper quickly shushed you and got closer.

"I'm being serious. If I show you this, you can't tell another living soul, got it? If it were to fall into the wrong hands..." The urgency in his voice made you apprehensive. What was this 12 year old kid about to show you, that was so important? Was this the reason he left in a hurry earlier today?

"Hey, go ahead, dude, I won't tell anyone. You can trust me." You said, reassuringly placing your hand on his shoulder. Dipper stared into your eyes, as if he was looking for something. After a second, he put his hand in his vest and took out an old journal with a monocle attached to it. With a golden hand on the cover, one finger too many, it was labelled with a large "3" on it, and there were several small symbols hurriedly scribbled on it. The cover was falling off and appeared as if it belonged in the British History Museum it looked so ancient. It was the type of thing scientists always talked about having but that you'd never seen one who did.

"I found this in the woods one day. It was hidden inside some sort of metal tree." He opened the book and flipped through the pages. Drawings of fantastical beasts flowed across the pages. Gnomes, zombies... ducks for some reason. Everything was there. Symbols, charts and writing littered the journal, seeming to explain all the details of this town. "Everything about Gravity Falls is in this journal. It has details on all of its creatures and monsters. That's how my sister and I have been able stop trouble and outsmart those creatures. Though sometimes we've used it to start trouble." He sheepishly chuckled, handing you the journal. "The guy who wrote it is a complete mystery. The pages just end at one point with no explanation! I was hoping maybe you could interpret some of the things in here."

Examining it closely, there were many things you noticed. "Hmm, this is definitely an academic journal. The guy who wrote this wasn't some whack job off the street, he seems to be a scholar..." You flipped page after page. Pausing at one that had a scientific table on the speed of these... eye bat thingies, it was undeniable the sheer oddness of a journal like this. "I think...this guy must have had access to a research facility. There's no way he could've gotten recordings this specific without having some pretty high tech measuring devices."

"Yeah, actually! We found some sort of lab the other day hidden in the woods, but we didn't find much else in it." You flipped page after page. The more you looked, the more you realized something was off.

"This is...bizarre." Dipper looked at you fascinated.

"What! What is it?"

"There are things in here... _impossible_ things." You said, baffled.

"Well, yeah. These creatures..."

"No, no, no. I don't mean the creatures, Dipper," You interrupted. "There are things that are just impossible for us to know! Look!" you paused at a page about the multiverse and pointed at a very complicated equation. "It says here that this is the equation to determine the diameter of our universe at any given moment in time. Our  _entire_ universe!"

"Yeah? It's pretty cool righ-" He began, though you interrupted him again.

"Dipper, science hasn't even settled if the universe is finite or infinite yet and this guy's already got the equation to solve for it!" You quickly read through the entire page. "He's written in depth knowledge about  _other_ dimensions! We've only been able to estimate, very poorly I might add, as to some basic facts about _nearby_ dimensions, and we don't even know if they exist yet! If I didn't know any better I'd say that the guy who wrote this must have been either insane or way too confident about his estimating skills!"

"But?" He hopefully asked. His dreams would be crushed if he found out the guy he'd been following was really just a crazy guy rambling on about UFO's.

"But... that doesn't make any sense either," you admitted, flipping through the pages once more. "On his experimental findings, he shows way too much meticulous care with the evidence to suggest either of those things. Plus everything I've experienced regarding Gravity Falls tells me that if you can find these numbers anywhere, its here. Which means our author was either an alien, which I find highly unlikely, or a human that got into some seriously heavy shit. He must have had contact with a being..." You froze and gasped, unable to even finish the sentence. _No way._   _Are you fucking kidding me?!_

"A being what?"

"Powerful enough to travel across dimensions." You forced the words to leave your suddenly dry throat. Both of you sat there, unmoving and silent. Only you realized the implications of what you just said. 

"Hey! what are you two nerds talking about?" Mabel  _thankfully_ yelled, stopping the conversation from going forward and giving you an out.

"Mabel! (Y/N) just told me some amazing facts about the author! She said that-" Dipper explained to Mabel before you tuned out the rest. 

 _Remember, if you ever need a being powerful enough to travel across dimensions, you know who to call!_  His words rang in your ear along with his horrifying maniacal laughter.  _That...that thing that came to me in my sleep last night...that was real?! Not only real but apparently able to see the future!?_ Jeez, you preferred him a lot better when he was just a figment of your imagination.  _If he helped the author of this journal find the **fucking diameter of the universe** along with some pretty heavy information about other dimensions, then he wasn't lying when he said he could help prove my mindscape thesis. Oh Boy._ 

However, the question still remained.  _Does this mean I'm willing to give up sovereignty over my own **body** , now that I know he can help me? _Your thoughts remained as confused and indecisive as ever. He said he would give you all the time you needed to make your choice, so you were in no rush to finalize your decision. _Let's sleep on it and see what tomorrow has to offer._

"I-I need to get to sleep. It's late and I'm tired..." You offered up as your shoddy excuse to leave.

"Come on, (Y/N)! I wanna see what more you can tell me about the journal! Please?" Dipper begged.

"Sorry, buddy, I woke up early today. Remember? I'm gonna call it night. We can talk tomorrow." You pushed his cap down onto his face. You faked a yawn. "Good night, everybody! Try not to make noise when you go upstairs!" You slammed the door behind you, still in pure shock at the realization. 

If you were lucky, maybe the universe would grant you a good night's sleep just to take a break from everything. However, you knew that the universe was not prone to giving you favors.

And tonight would be no different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter is going to be very juicy trust me. 
> 
> *As always, I welcome ALL constructive criticism so please comment down below if you have any problems at all as it will help me refine my writing!
> 
> Again I thank you all for the support and hope you continue reading this story!


	6. Deal?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this!

Despite your raging thoughts, you were able to fall asleep fairly quickly, gladly welcoming the silent darkness that accompanied it. However, the darkness didn't last for very long.

Your dreaming mind travelled backwards, before you met Bill, before the events at your University that led you back to Gravity Falls, all the way back to senior year of high school. The memories of your adolescence flowed into your mind once more. Looking back, the soul crushing stress over exams and colleges that plagued your every thought seemed so foreign and petty. The drama that pervaded the school halls, once so important, felt insignificant. 

"Dad! Mom! I'm home!" You yelled as you entered your parent's apartment. "Please tell me you brought food!" As you laid all of your stuff in the living room, your Dad appeared in front of you. 

"Don't worry I bought pizza on the way home," he reassured laughing.

"Then what are we waiting for? I'm starving!" You began walking back towards the kitchen. _Man pizza sounds good right now._ Your dad grasped your arm before you could make it there.

"Wait, wait. Before we eat I have something to show you," he vaguely stated. Looking at him weird, you noticed that he was crudely holding something behind his back.  _Smooth, Dad, smooth._

"I wanted to wait until Mom got back from work, but frankly I'm too excited," He sighed eagerly and slowly revealed the hidden object. It was a bright blue envelope. "This came in the mail today." He handed it to you. "It's from West Coast Tech." Your anxiety instantly went into overdrive.

"...Oh, God," you panted, heart pumping faster. Unable to keep balance, you sat down. You looked at the envelope marked with golden letters. You'd applied to your dream college, spending an entire week on the application, and now this envelope holds your future.

"Hey, (Y/N), it's gonna be alright. Even if you don't get in, you've already gotten accepted into other ones." He put his hand on your shoulder. "Go ahead. Open it."

Taking a deep breath, you ripped open the packaging and took out the paper, hands practically shaking. With nervous eyes, you skipped the entire introduction and just went right to the first paragraph, reading the first word aloud.

"... _Congratulations!_ After reviewing your application, it is with great pleasure that we offer you admission into West Coast Tech!" You bellowed out in glee, squealing. "I got in! I can't believe I got in!" 

"Ey! That's amazing! I'm so proud of you!" Your dad shrieked at you with the same happiness and hugged you. "Read ahead, there should also be something about that scholarship you applied to."

"Ok! Ok!" You obliged, unable to contain your excitement. Looking past a couple paragraphs, you read out again this time without any hesitation. "If you applied for financial aid or scholarships, a letter from the Financial Aid Office is enclosed with this mailing." Tossing aside the first page onto the floor, you looked at the second letter. "Thank you for your interest in the Carol J. Ayers Scholarship for young women who excel in one or more fields of science. We regret..." you halted, wavering on the last word. Your dad shot you a knowing look. "We regret to inform you that the scholarship was awarded to another student." All the happiness drained from your body.

"Hey, why the long face? You got accepted! That's amazing!" You couldn't look him in the eyes.

"Dad...I can't  _pay_ for this. It's like $60,000 per year! I don't want to be knee high in debt for the next ten years! Even with the Financial Aid from FAFSA, it'd be way cheaper for me to go to a college here in the state." You moped at him. Early on, you promised yourself that you would be the main payer of your tuition, as your parents had already done so much for you.

"Wow, wow, wow. Slow down down there, (Y/N), look at me," he declared, sternly. You raised your head to be greeted by an exasperated look from your father. "Why do you think your mother and I saved up all those years? So that we can go on extravagant trips to Hawaii? No, we did it so we could spend that money on important things, like your education. Your  _future_." You couldn't believe your ears.

"Wait, are you saying...you'll pay for it?" You questioned. He only smiled back in return, prompting you to once again squee in delight. "Thank you! Thank you! _Thank you!"_ You attacked him into a bear hug.

"Now we're not gonna do this for free, I expect you to get a job and help us out with the tuition. Also, promise me one thing." He stared at you dead in the eyes. "Promise me you'll work just as hard there as you are now. I know teenagers can get a bit... reckless straight out of high school, and I'm speaking from experience. Now, I'm all for you having fun, but I just want you to take full advantage of this opportunity we're giving you."

"Dad...you know I will." You assured. "Plus... I'm too antisocial and awkward to go to parties anyways, so studying's basically my only option." You joked. "Thank you, Dad. Really, you have no idea how much I appreciate this." You hugged him again. The sudden clinking of keys and the door opening interrupted your moment.

"Honey, please tell me one of you two brought food." Your Mom begged as she put all of her stuff down.

"Mom, I got accepted into West Coast Tech! Dad and I just opened the letter!" 

~~~

For the second night in a row, you awoke in a cold sweat in the same old couch at the Mystery Shack. The difference being, this time you knew the events in your nightmare actually happened.

You promised your parents that you would take advantage of the education they spent so much on, and there you and your stupid temper go and punch the headmaster. Way to go. All of the pride you had felt at leaving the place that wouldn't accept your ideas had dissipated, leaving nothing but cold, hard regret.

 _That's it,_ you decided,  _I have to go take Bill's deal._

Determined to collect what he promised, you rose up from the couch and silently departed from the Shack. In no time at all you were back by the same tree you fell asleep under the night before. Now away from anyone that might be listening, you called out to the triangle.

"Bill! I'm here to make a deal!" Your voice echoed in the empty woods. This time you stood confidently, without fear or hesitation, as your surroundings deformed back into the gray nightmarish realm. The same chilling laughter that had rung in your mind throughout the entire day now boomed through the trees and into your ears before the being who caused it materialized.

"Haha! I knew you'd eventually come to your senses!" He exclaimed, spinning his glowing cane in the air.

"A being powerful enough to travel across dimensions. Did you know I was gonna say that?" You questioned.

"Of course I knew! Didn't you hear me before? I see past, present and future!"  _Jeez, how powerful is this guy._

"So you helped the author of that journal get all that information and all those equations too?"

"He made a deal with me for information, and I can do the same thing for you. All you have to do is shake my hand," a bright blue flame engulfed his right hand, "and I can give you all the information you desire." He circled around you quickly, leaving you almost dizzy trying to face him.

"Before I do, I have one last question. How exactly are you going to help prove my theory? Are you gonna give me some sort of machine that can see dreams or what?" He halted in front of you.

"No! Think bigger! In order for you to prove the connection between the mind and other dimensions, you first have to prove that other dimensions are real, and for that you need physical evidence." He clarified. "I'm not gonna get you a machine that can show you a glimpse of the multiverse, I can help you build a portal that can actually take you there!"  _No way._

"A portal to another dimension? Isn't that gonna take  _years_ build?" You asked.

"Lucky for us, there's an almost finished portal right here in Gravity Falls!" He floated really close to you.

"Really. How is that possible?" You replied incredulously, folding your arms. _There's an inter-dimensional portal right here and no one's noticed?_

"You saw the journal yourself. I helped the author of that journal build the portal, but he disappeared before he was able to finish the job. I'll help you fix it, and then you're free to travel dimensions as you please!" You thought over his words for a moment. "Just let me into your body, Star Eyes! Then you can do everything you promised your parents and more!"

The bright blue flame again erupted over his hand as he extended it out towards you.  _This is it,_ you thought.  _This is the only way to make up for all of my mistakes. I have to do it._

"It's a deal." You grabbed his flaming hand and shook it, closing your eyes and looking away as you did. Bill chuckled loudly again.

_"Let's get started, doll."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are really gonna get going soon.
> 
> *As always, I welcome ALL constructive criticism in the comments below. Leave a note if you dislike something.

**Author's Note:**

> Just began a new Tumblr blog for reader-insert imagines, drabbles, and more. Taking requests!
> 
> https://theimaginemindscape.tumblr.com


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